Editorial: Is Canada doing enough to prevent shipping incidents?

Clear Seas makes a case for a Marine Emergency Prevention Fund in the September issue of BC Shipping News.

Like electricity and everything it powers, marine shipping and all it delivers is largely taken for granted in Canada — until something goes wrong.

When the power goes out in our homes, we feel an immediate impact to our way of living. Only then do we appreciate the importance of electricity and how much we are dependent on its near-constant availability.

Likewise, when a container ship is delayed with goods for export or import, or a marine incident near our coastal communities makes the headlines, we become aware of our dependence on safe and sustainable marine shipping practices — both to protect Canada’s waterways and to keep our shipping lanes open for business…